L’Oréal Ads Analysis Essay Example

Introduction 

As many Americans around the country see L’Oréal ads They are mainly aimed at women. Women are normally the target audience for L'Oreal ads whether this is for a new lipstick line or fragrance they almost always point towards women. This means men just scroll by unless they're looking for a gift for a friend or partner. So imagine you’re scrolling on Facebook when you come across a L’Oréal ad that is not pointed towards women. It’s very boldly pointed towards men, who happen to hold the majority of leadership roles. This design complicates gender norms because men hold the primary position in leadership roles and this ad shows through a graph made by using L’Oréal product how women being in leadership roles can help create more revenue for the company or business depending on how many women they have in leadership roles. L’ Oreal wants to show that women are worth being put into leadership roles. 

Target Audience 

The target audience for many L’Oréal ads is women. But not this one, this ad is directed towards men potentially CEOs of businesses. Since men are the primary holder of leadership positions L’Oréal wants to show that women are worth putting in leadership roles. L’Oréal uses different size lipsticks to still promote their product but also proves to men or CEOs that having 

Women in leadership roles can help create more revenue for the company. This ad would appeal to women too. They’re not just going to scroll by a L’Oréal ad that's directed towards men, they're going to stop and read through it and feel more empowered to pursue leadership roles within companies. In an article written by Linda Decker, she says “Women outnumber men in college—they account for 55% of undergraduates, tend to have higher grades and drop out less frequently than men. Yet as of 2020 women still accounted for only 7.4% of leadership positions in Fortune 500 companies.” She goes on to say later that leadership positions are seen as “more masculine” and that a woman just wouldn't be up for it. 

Color

The most prominent color of this ad is red which is normal for many L’Oréal ads as it's a bright and bold color. So this makes sense that the background and the lipsticks used in the graph are red. The next very prominent color is white. This is used at the very top of the page and is used to make the text in all capital letters “THIS AD IS FOR MEN '' this is used to pop out of the page and grab people's attention. The last prominent color in this ad is the black print on the revue side that says “+ 15% revenue with women leaders” L’Oréal wants to draw attention to this so that men or businesses will see that it could be very beneficial to them as a company trying to make money that they continue to bring up the profitability. 

Layout

The layout of this design is very simple but powerful. The way L’Oréal used “THIS AD IS FOR MEN.” Was a smart move because it immediately grabs people's attention and they want to look at the ad because of the captivating label at the very top. They put the graph in the center of the page using their product that way people wouldn't miss it and would immediately see it. Off to the side of the graph is small lettering except the +15% which is noticeably bigger and catches your eye that way you become more interested in what the ad is trying to say.

Full Overall Analysis 

Normally L’ORÉAL ads are projected towards women through the beauty aspect but this ad is projected towards men and putting women in leadership positions making a graph out of lipstick. At the top of the ad, it specifically says “This is an ad for me” and the graph is showing the higher the percentage of women in leadership roles the higher the revenue. The lipstick piece seems to point towards the more feminine side of things but the ad is very direct about being pointed towards men. According to an article written by Patrick Coffee “They then turned the numbers into visually striking illustrations of the degree to which companies benefit from hiring women in leadership roles while simultaneously displaying the brand’s well-known products.” This is suggesting instead of just putting men in leadership roles it is also beneficial to putting women in leadership positions. This ad complicates the general stereotypes of men and women because men statistically hold a majority of leadership roles in business and the creators of this ad are trying to show how beneficial women are in leadership roles. 

Conclusion

The ad “This ad is for men” by L’Oreal shows men, women, and business owners that leadership positions are not solely for men just because they seem too “masculine” and that women are worth being put in leadership roles. Those companies can earn more revenue with women leaders. L’Oréal made many of these ads using different products to get the message across that women are worth being put into these roles of leadership positions. I think L’Oréal did a great job showing this through the layout, color, and text of this ad. 

Works Cited MLA:

Decker, Lynda. “Why Aren't More Women in Leadership Positions?” Decker Design, Decker, 23 Feb. 2021, deckerdesign.com/2018/07/arent-women-leadership-positions/. 

Nedelcheva, Kalina. “Bold Statement-Making Beauty Ads.” TrendHunter.com, TREND HUNTER Inc., 11 Apr. 2019, www.trendhunter.com/trends/loral-ad.